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| Leader of the pack: As a senior free safety, Darryl Klugh was the heart and soul of the 1999 Blue Death Defense. |
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Darryl Klugh: “Man, it’s crazy because I can only contrast it to what it’s like right now. But back then there weren’t even a lot of people of the football team who pledged fraternities. That’s how much clout we had - people didn’t even look at any other things for social outlets. It was like we were our own social outlet, everywhere we went. You had dudes back then who wouldn’t want to put on real clothes when they went out. We just wanted to put on our A&T sweats and go out. Like: “you see this A&T football logo on my shirt? That’s all I need. I don’t need to dress up and get fly; I’ll go the club or the bar in just my A&T sweats.’”
1999 was actually the year when Chancellor Renick first arrived at A&T. I remember he was very supportive of what the football team had accomplished that season and even hung a large congratulatory sign outside of Cooper Hall. Darryl Klugh: "Yeah, I remember that. And from my recollection, Renick had a lot of enthusiasm towards the football team and athletics in general. I mean, let’s be honest, athletics are very important. Not only as a revenue generator, but in terms of enrollment and marketing as well. And so for him to just be coming to A&T, our MEAC championship was a great tool because he could use the momentum from athletics to help carry out any other goals that he might have had. And man, I remember just feeling so confident back then. I mean, just imagine that people would be getting ready to go to the mall and they’d spend all day ironing their nice shirts, and we’d be like “nah man, A&T sweats is all you need!”
A&T would go on to defeat South Carolina State in the regular season finale to preserve your undefeated record in the MEAC. Then you found out that as a reward for your great season you would face No. 1 ranked Tennessee State in the first round of the 1-AA playoffs. What was your initial reaction to that draw? Darryl Klugh: “Tennessee State who? Didn’t matter. Just tell us when and where. We play them next week? Didn’t matter. And honestly it was even better because they’re closer. We wanted to play them. I believe FAMU was actually ranked No. 7 so we figured we might get a chance to play them again, but the only thing bad about facing Tennessee State was that we had to knock off another black college team. That was our big deal – that they put two black colleges against each other. But then we were all like, ‘Cool, that’ll work.’ When we found out we drew Tennessee State, nobody on our team was upset. We were just like ‘Word? Tennessee State? Well, just go ahead and line ‘em up.’"
When you finally locked horns with Tennessee State that next week in Nashville, we saw very quickly that your confidence was indeed justified. Talk a little bit about that historic contest and how you were able to take control despite being in enemy territory. Darryl Klugh: “I can recall quite a few plays from that game, but the salient play – and this is kind of legendary and emotional for us even to this day – was when Mo Smith, who entered the game with a bad upper leg injury and had his hamstring tapped over the top of his uniform pants, broke free for a 60-yard run. He was limping the whole time but still outrunning people. Man, we were looking at that play like, ‘wow!’ That was just an epic moment for us. I mean, everyone on the sideline and even the players on the field, just had a look of disbelief on their face. It was like, ‘this guy is really a man amongst boys our here.’ The dude was grimacing with his leg tapped up, yet he was still stiff-arming people and out-running defenders. It was amazing.”
Defensively, you guys had a number of big plays in that game as well. I remember he Aggies took out their starting quarterback – I believe he had a separated shoulder when Blue Death gone done with him – and you guys also had a blocked punt that was recovered for a touchdown. That had to be one of A&T’s best defensive performances of the year. Darryl Klugh: “Yeah, there were a lot of key plays – especially that blocked punt for a touchdown. I remember Sam (Rogers) or somebody blocked it and I think it was Temell Purket who fell on it. And it was so crazy because they ran back to the sideline and everyone was arguing with each other about who got the chance to make the big play (laughs). It wasn’t a matter of if a big play was going to be made; it was just a matter of who was going to make it and who was going to be able to get to the ball first .We knew (TSU) wasn’t going to get to the ball first; it was a matter of which one of us was going to get to the ball first. There was a lot of levity during that whole season and after that blocked punt we were all kind of joking with each other like, “Ah, you took my touchdown!.”
There was one particular moment in that contest, when you guys began to pull away in the second half, that the A&T marching band started playing the song “No Play In GA (a.k.a We Ready)”. That was sort of like the unofficial theme song for the 1999 team and once they heard the song the whole sideline just went crazy. I remember even some of the players on the field started grooving. That was quite a scene. Darryl Klugh: “To this day, I still get goose bumps when I hear that song. Oh man. Even back in that South Carolina State game – I don’t know if you remember it, but that was the first time ever that we wore all gold uniforms. Me, (Dwaine) Carpenter and someone else were at midfield doing the captains’ coin toss. The band wasn’t even playing the song yet, but just as we were shaking the South Carolina State captains’ hands, we looked over in the tunnel at Panthers Stadium …and suddenly the band started playing that song and our teammates just started going crazy yelling, ‘We Ready, We Ready’. Our players were all bouncing and rocking and we just looked back at South Carolina State’s captains and we were like, ‘Uh, looks like our boys are ready over there. See ya in a few minutes’ (laughs) The atmosphere and angst and anxiety in the stadium was crazy at that point! Just imagine that you’re doing the coin toss and shaking hands, and you look over and see your dogs barking like crazy! Like ‘Let me at ‘em! Unleash this chain from me!’ After that, we just looked at the South Carolina State players and said, ‘Y’all are in trouble.’”
A&T would eventually upset Tennessee State 24-10 and capture the first-ever playoff win in school history. The next week, however, you traveled up to Youngstown, Ohio where things didn’t fair quite as well. If you can, please talk about that loss and just what went wrong against Youngstown State. Darryl Klugh: “It was like we were a pickup truck … that got blindsided by a Mack truck. The Youngstown situation was an unknown unknown. Coming into that game, we did not know what we didn’t know. Now, don’t get me wrong. We were prepared; it wasn’t a lack of our preparation. It wasn’t a lack of our ability. It was just a lack of familiarity with the moment. I think it was just a case of their program being on another level that we didn’t yet understand how to get to. You could sense it as soon as we ran on the field. I remember, one side of their stadium went up about five stories on the home side and the other side, the visitor’s side, is just like high school bleachers. But on the home side they had about 20,000 people, all standing up and screaming. As soon as you run out of the tunnel and you look back and it’s like, ‘Word? All those folks are against us?’ And over there, even their friends heckled you differently. It was like a completely different atmosphere that we weren’t even aware of. It was the first time that season since the Elon game where we felt like we just couldn’t push our opponent around. As the game was going on we were like, ‘Hey, these dudes are kind of strong. Wow, their offense is nice. They mix it up a lot. Oh yeah, I see it now.’ It was obvious that we were somewhat overmatched in terms of the state of our two programs at that time. This was just our first time getting there and (then Youngstown State coach Jim) Tressel has already won another championship since then. He’s gone on to win a 1-A championship since then. But looking back, I think it was good for us as a program to get there so that now we know what to do when we get back.”
Did they seem physically stronger than most of the teams that you played in the MEAC that season? Darryl Klugh: “Oh definitely. Definitely”
Even in the season-ending loss to Youngstown State, you once again emerged as a defensive standout. If not for all the flying around you did, knocking down passes and making tackles, the score could have probably gotten even worse. Talk a little about your personal performance in that game. Darryl Klugh: “That’s exactly what it was. Now, let me say that they were a little stronger than the MEAC teams but it wasn’t like we felt completely overmatched. The emotion and energy was there, but it was just more of a situation where the moment was greater than what we were ready for. But even then, I said to myself ‘you know what? I’m going to win these one-on-one battles. I’m going to win all of these one-on-one battles.’ So if you’re in the open field, you’re going down. If you’re in my zone, you’re going down. My assignment is going to be won. I don’t care what the score is; I don’t care what the down and distance is. I’m going to win the individual battles, period. And after the game, I had one of the crowning moments of my career when Tressel walked up to me after the game and said ‘Son, you’re one of the finest free safeties that I’ve seen play.’ And at the time, I was just like ‘yeah … OK … thanks, Coach’ because who is Jim Tressel at that point? I was just like ‘Yeah, Coach. Thanks a lot. I’ve heard that one before. Y’all just smacked us in the face, but thanks a lot for the nice words.’(laughs) But little would I know that a few years later he would be coaching at Ohio State on TV in the (BCS) National Championship game. At that point I was like, ‘Yo, respect due! Respect due! This is the same guy who gave me my props!’”
Speaking of props, how does it feel to be regarded as one of the best free safeties to ever play for A&T: Darryl Klugh: I’m honored, man. I’m honored and I think that one of the biggest lessons I learned at A&T – along with all the quotes from Coach Hayes - was the value of hard work. I mean, honestly, I wasn’t the fastest dude. Everybody knew that. I wasn’t the biggest dude. Everybody knew that. I was an above-average athlete, but I wasn’t the most athletic guy on the team. You had freaks like Dwaine Carpenter and guys who had bodies like Temell Purket. I wasn’t on that level. I was a good, strong athlete that maximized my potential, and that was due 100 percent to hard work. You can ask anybody who knows me that it was 100 percent hard work. And that helped me later on in life in my career as an engineer. With 100 percent hard work I was able to rise to the top of my profession. In anything I do, I really believe in hard work and that’s what helped me. That alone is a lesson that, for the rest of my life, I’ll be able to use to accomplish my goals.
A lot of people overlooked the fact that you were an excellent student at A&T as well as a star athlete: Darryl Klugh: “When a lot of people were taking naps, I was doing my school work. When they were in the weight room, I was in the weigh room with them. When they were out there partying, I was out there partying with them. But when they were watching TV, I was in the library or I was in McNair. It was like I was just very efficient with my time-management. College students can spend a lot of down time chilling under the tree or on the wall, doing whatever. And while you’re chilling, that’s cool. But I’ll chill with you when I get back from studying. I really don’t feel like I missed anything in college because I maximized my time management. When my roommate was watching that fuzzy cable in Cooper Hall or eating chicken wings from the dude coming through the dorm selling chicken and the five dollar pizzas, I was on my way going out to McNair. Two o’clock in the morning, when he’s still on the phone chilling, I’m just getting back in from McNair. I really tried to maximize my time so I could get the most out of my day. I really had to.”
So how did those time-management skills and work ethic impact your life after college? What have you been up to since the 1999 season?: Darryl Klugh: “From a humble standpoint, I’ll just say I’ve done well. I can say that the same prodigious amount of work that I put in as a college football player is on par with the work I’ve put into my professional career. Right now I’m the principal engineer at a major firm. About four out five years ago, I went back and got my masters degree from A&T. Now, let me ask you: what do you think my grade point average would have been if I didn’t have to worry about playing football in college and was just a student? Well, I had a 4.0 in grade school because I didn’t have to worry about football. I graduated in a year and a half of grad school, came out, and at the youngest age possible I was able to get my professional engineering license. I did that at about 26. Then, I got my PNP - which is another major deal in my profession – as just collected a lot of other accolades and certifications and licenses, just to buttress up my experience from a career perspective. And now I’m at a point in my career where I’m way ahead of my time for where most people would expect an electrical engineer to be. So, I guess I’ve kind of beat the game in both aspects. I’ve used a lot of those principles from my college football days and carried them over to my professional life
Are you still living here in North Carolina? Darryl Klugh: “No, I’m in DC now. I’m not married and I don’t have any kids right now, but I do a lot in the community. I really do. I always try to be a mentor. A friend of mine - Darius Helton - his wife is a school administrator, so I do a lot of mentoring there. I do a lot of other outreach and volunteer stuff. I’m really active in the community; I just don’t have my own kids right now. Another thing is that I have three little brothers. One of them- Raheem Klugh- is actually at A&T now. He doesn’t play ball or anything, but he’s an engineer major and he’s doing very well as a student. Also, my little sister is a rising senior in high school so she’ll be going to A&T next year. I just took her to a college tour at A&T. Then, I’ve got two other younger brothers who are major, major athletes and they’ll probably be going to A&T in the next five years themselves. See, (my family) just know that it works. We know A&T is a place where you can go and turn out to be a successful adult. I’ve seen it work with just the peer group I had; my contemporaries. My little brother saw that and now my sister is seeing that too. Once you see something working, it’s almost like a factory. A&T is like a factory that produces young black professionals.”
As a successful alum and former star player, it most have been difficult to watch the A&T football program fall on such tough times in recent years. Darryl Klugh: “Yeah, and I think the biggest thing was the negative perception people have of black college programs. I think a lot of coaches probably think that you can just come to a black college and not have to roll up you sleeves and do this nasty, dirty work. I don’t think I ever really had what you would call a ‘player’s coach’. All of the great coaches in college football weren’t really ‘player’s coaches.’ You hate them until you learn to love them. And I don’t know if these kids today hate their coach initially. See, that’s what made Coach Hayes so prominent and successful. It was that the people who made it through his program learned to love him for all the tough love he gave us. And at A&T now, I don’t know if the players are getting that tough love that they need. I don’t want to dare call anyone soft, but they don’t have that fight that I used to see. And I think that’s a direct correlation to the amount of tough love they get. I mean, I don’t want to sound like and elitist and say that my group was superior and you to need to find another Coach Hayes. That’s why I kind of push it more towards tough love. But just think about how mad we were when Coach Hayes made us practice after the Elon game. Think about how many people just wanted to quit at that point and say forget it. But think about how 10 years later our fans now view that as one of the most illustrious seasons in A&T history. Can you imagine how many names we called Coach Hayes behind his back? Do you think we would have said ‘I love Coach Hayes’ at that moment? No! Do you think we felt comfortable living in nice, plush college apartments back then? No. We had tough love and I think that made all the difference.” Well, this upcoming season A&T will have a new coaching staff led by Alonzo Lee that will be looking to launch a new era of success on the gridiron. If you could give the current A&T football players some final advice what would you say to them? Darryl Klugh: “First of all, it’s cool to have that coach who’ll kick you around and yell at you and make you run and all that, but homeboy you need to have self motivation. There are three things that I always say that are very underrated and there are three things that many times are overrated. The overrated things are athletic ability and talent and reputation. You can definitely use all those things, but what’s underrated is your ambition, your sacrifice and your discipline. A lot of people can run real fast 40s and bench press however much weight you want and maybe were All-State or All-Conference in high school, but you look at them and just want to say, ‘where is your heart? Where’s your ambition? Where’s your sacrifice? Where’s your discipline?’ And a lot of times, without those three components you fall by the wayside … and not only do you fall, but if your team doesn’t collectively have those three components, your program will fall by the wayside too. Then you end up with world-renowned losing streaks. You end up with no players going to the NFL. You end up with a lack of support from alumni and a lot of outside entities. So, I would tell these current players that - regardless of your talent – if you just embrace ambition, sacrifice and discipline then that's what will get you over the hump.”
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